Some thoughts on the state of my world/brain as a ‘nother year comes to a close..

My photographic and musical journey began around the turn of the century (I love saying that, haha) nearly 20 years ago. Like millions of my fellow artists in the world, I’ve spent much of the time since then creating works, navigating the medium(s), the business, the clients, the mission, and at times, my life. When I can.

This year I knew it was time to simplify things and create more calm instead of more craziness. Its easy to get pulled in a kajillion directions especially when you practice more than one art form (fave quote that I often quote by Joseph Campbell: “"the form is secondary, the message is whats important”) Before I knew it, I was randomly seeing whales on the East Coast and whales on the West Coast. I randomly visited Salem in Massachusetts and then Salem in Oregon. I drove past “New” Salem in the Midwest. All of this geographic symmetry happened naturally and unbeknownst to me at the start of the year, balance was/is the key.

(and apparently, Salem, haha…insert upside down emoji HERE)

To celebrate this newfound state of equipoise, I photographed the sign at the 45th parallel near Salem, Oregon.

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to photograph in Salem Proper, but true to World Tour form, I was drawn to a church. At first because of its cool sign, but as I got closer there was something else that caught my attention. I had come to Salem to photograph balance (the 45th parallel sign) which I did, but I also found an off centered, unbalanced cross on the façade of the church and somehow everything just seemed right (aka balanced) b/c that’s just life. Things can’t be centered/balanced until you know that they aren’t.

When I think of the craziness I was trying to calm another fave quote by my fave fictional character, Sherlock Holmes comes to mind: “You are too bound by forms, Watson”. And coming back full circle to Campbell, I realize that balance, and calm, comes from focusing on the message rather than focusing on the craziness of the form, that’s true of any situation. Hoping to keep that mindset strong going forward.

(Random fun fact: I just bought New Balance running shoes. That’s just irrelevant yet relevant lagniappe but I just realized that too, haha.)

Anyhoo, tip of the hat to 2018, and looking forward to 2019, wherever the road leads and all the good books I shall read.

Halloween makes me think of Ozzy Osbourne, cuz, well ….Ozzy, and also because I saw him at Voodoo Fest a few years back so naturally I thought my October blog should be about Birmingham. teehee.

So I read an article once that said Birmingham (UK) was the birthplace of heavy metal because its where Ozzy is from. Ever since I read that, which may have been in the pre-historic World Tour era, I’ve wanted to go to Birmingham (AL) and photograph heavy metal (on 35mm film, of course..metal…). I finally got that chance last May when Laura DeFazio was kind enough to make Birmingham a pit stop on our Road Trip to Nowhere.

We found this great alley in which to explore metal things and apparently, climb metal things.

It was a happy surprise to come across the Birmingham Oddities. These kinds of things always have a way of working out on the World Tour that will Never End. The store was closed (Laura may have scaled the wall, can’t remember..) but it was both a joy and an appropriate oddity to come across on the Road Trip to Nowhere with a slight Ozzy Osbourne angle that later included whales (thats just lagniappe for now)

Anyhoo, have a spooky Halloween, stay tuned for upcoming photo excitement (PhotoNOLA is just around the corner!) Also if you haven’t seen my latest Sun Print Road Trip pics from Paris and Mexico, click HERE.

Here’s what’s coming up gig wise on Halloween and in November:

October 31st - World’s Spookiest Open Mic Buffas (1001 Esplanade) 7pm

November 7th - Crescent City Farmers Market at the French Market with Patrick Cooper 1:30-4:30

That’s right – the Sun! This month my world has been all about the sun, searching for it, photographing it, making sun prints in it, and getting ready for World Cyanotype Day this Saturday, September 29th!

This Saturday 9/29 I’ll be leading a Cyanotype Workshop with Robert Schaefer and Jennifer Shaw at the New Orleans Healing Center.. ALL DAY LONG! All are welcome and its FREE! Drop by anytime from 10am to 4pm we have ready-to-print 12 inch pre-coated flags and materials for you to design and create your own little piece of the sun. Feel free to bring objects that you would like to use as well (think shapes..) Robert will also be giving a presentation on the history of the cyanotype, one of the first photo processes developed in 1842.

the making of cyanotypes on the road

World Cyanotype Day began in 2015. From the website: “we wanted World Cyanotype Day to serve as a worldwide opportunity to create a work of art. We chose the idea of making prayer flags, or peace flags that resemble the Himalayan prayer flag strands. Just as the flags are connected together, one to the next, so we hoped the project would connect people together, one to the next, around the world.”

When you participate you can choose to leave one of your flags at the Healing Center to be exhibited this December during PhotoNOLA, the New Orleans Photo Alliance’s annual gathering of photography in New Orleans.

If you are reading this email then you are probably familiar with my lumen prints, another solar printing process. What I love about printing with the sun is that you are both documenting and creating your own world. This year the creators of World Cyanotype want people to gather everywhere in, parking lots, parks, galleries, wherever to put your “World” in World Cyanotype Day!

Oh, and no sun? No Problem! We’ll be like Vegas and make our own!

(ok, so the sun is real, the New York skyline is not..)

Haha, but true-ish…. we have several photographers ready & willing to donate UV light boxes in the event of rain/cloudy skies, so we will be printing Rain or Shine!

Hellllooooo….I purposely put off posting The State of My World this summer because I had a feeling the months together would have more of a collective vibe…one long month with 3 very different, yet cohesive, parts. I also wanted the opportunity to write “purposely put off posting” haha

So whats been up – Road Trippin to Nowhere which turned out to be Everywhere,

(and saw whales)

Road Trippin to Antiquity, visiting what was once the largest city north of Mexico in pre- Columbian times, Cahokia in Southern Illinois.

In between….there was a whole lot of cleaning/clearing out my apartment…to make space.

A tiny apartment that also serves as my studio can get super cluttered. My goal for the summer was to organize my prints/studio, but I quickly learned that to organize my prints I had to organize my apartment and in organizing my apartment I was unintentionally, unexpectedly but necessarily organizing my life, thus making space for what lies ahead. This summer was given over to making the time to create the space to move forward. (insert snazzy sundial pic here, except that I already posted it so here's another one) So this blogs theme is space. (Or whales.)

And on that note … I have quite a few things coming up –

Saturday, August 11thUrbanism & Eccentricites – Where Y'art Gallery /1901 Royal/ a group show commemorating 300 years of NOLA juried by geographer Richard Campenella – my print “Passing Time” was chosen for this exhibtion

What with my new found spacious space (not quite there yet, but better) I’ll also be spending the next few weeks getting ready for my September exhibition of lumen prints at the Ocshner Healing Arts Walk at Ocshner Hospital!! I’m really looking forward to showing this work in this healing environment. More on that later.

I’m still going through my 650,000,000 pictures I took over the summer. ...And the summer ain't over yet. Hopefully soon I’ll be posting my pics of the birthplace of heavy metal (insert intrigue here)

Yay, I’m finally posting my monthly blog before the end of the month, (kinda.. it's only bout a week away..)

Inspired by the dreamy springtime blooms (now a thing of the past) and my love of tiny things, I hoped to capture the essence of Spring by printing tiny subjects on tiny negatives. Keeping true to form, I procrastinated just enough to where there was hardly any sign of spring left to print. (Insert Upside Down Emoji) Luckily, my house had enough Ligustrum Litter in the backyard to scoop up a few tiny petals to make some lasting hypoallergenic images.

Single Ligustrum Bloom, Lumen Negative

Ligustrum Blooms, Lumen Negative

And then while strolling thru the Garden District with a group during my weekly photo workshop a few weeks ago, I managed to capture the Very Last Ligustrum Bloom on this Very Large Ligustrum Hedge just for good measure.

Last Ligustrum Bloom

It has been a while since I’ve printed on negatives, and I admit to not being as emulsion savvy with the different films (yet) as I am with paper, so the purple hues were a welcome surprise. My first print was actually jasmine

Electric Jasmine

and it did not disappoint. Just like Everything Else I Do, this isn’t a series just about tiny springtime blooms. It’s more about the idea of said tiny springtime blooms. The idea is that the Big Picture is nothing more than a series of tiny things, and its the tiny things that matter.

I love the fragrance of spring with the jasmine and ligustrum in bloom (granted this year it came way early and normally I’d be looking forward to the jasmine blooms wafting through the air right about now rather than lamenting its ending). I like the vibrancy of this jasmine image b/c it shows the Power of the (seemingly) Tiny. (Unsolicited PSA: Wanna heal the world? ….Think Tiny..one kind act...one single vote....)

If not for all those tiny petals, where would that vernal aroma that envelops our neighborhoods each year be?!

Find the Lizard!

…. maybe hiding with this lizard? Note: This is the only jasmine print I have right now because the camera that I used to take jasmine pics with is currently vacationing with some witches in Massachusetts, buts that’s for another state of my world blog post. Anyhoo, while we are on lizards, here’s a couple of tiny dinosaurs:

Just before I killed my lantana (it will be back) while on road trip to Massachusetts to drop said camera off at Witch Camp, I made a few lumen prints. They didn’t come out exactly as I envisioned, but I do like the circular pattern of this one.

I thought it a nice ending for this post - may the circle of tiny things be unbroken..to create a better state of our world...

Hello folks - well, I did it again, got this blog post in hours before the month of April ends. To top it all off..the theme of this months State of My World is....coming soon. haha..but true....

Enchanted and inspired by the lovely spring like weather this month, I aspired to capture its essence with some new lumen prints. They are, as of now at 8:30pm, a work in progress, but i will have them ready for next months blog, and next month is tomorrow so that works out well..

new lumens coming soon!

April was a busy month with gigs in new venues, new songs about my recent adventures in L.A., fundraisers, photo workshops and exhibits.

Sunset in Venice, California, not Louisiana

April also saw the healing of Betty the Bullhorn, who underwent surgery for a fall last December and recovered in time to make it to the Musicians Mentors & Barroom Heroes fundraiser at Checkpoint Charlies - her first event since the fall!

I’m trying to get better about posting this blog at the beginning of the month, but every beginning has an end and here we are again at the end of the month...with 5-ish hours to spare! ‘sall good though b/c I’ve had a few ideas of what to write about but ultimately what got this month started was…quinoa.

I’ve been cooking up a quinoa storm lately, casseroles, soups, salads even patties. Unrelated to this recent cooking venture, three years ago I was able to visit the land of the quinoa itself, Peru (did not go there b/c of quinoa, but it is all I ate while there, thank you freakishly high altitude). I also realized I haven’t posted many pics from that trip so here are a few.

Quinoa Field, Peru

Quinoa (keen-wah…as in “I’m so KEEN on Chickie WAH wah, haha) is known for being a versatile superfood packed with nutrients and proteins. I s’pose my mind has been wandering to one in particular DELICiOUS quinoa soup that I had in Peru and have since tried to replicate it (read: tried) and that is maybe what launched my recent obsession. Or maybe …it was the need to sustain versatility. A full-time artist is a Creator, Creative Director, Business Manager, Accountant, Coordinator, Teacher, the list goes on …..in other words ….in order to Survive, an Artist has to be versatile, no matter where the strengths and weaknesses lie. So adding a versatile grain into my diet and contemplating said versatility rather than working on my taxes seems apropos at this time.

Yet I also think back to Peru itself. There is no way to experience Peru and not include the word “versatile”. With a variety of topography and climates, being able to adapt to the 4-seasons-in-one-day is essential and lets not forget that pesky high altitude thing.

Larco Museum - Lima, Peru

Somewhere in the Peruvian Desert

Pisco Coastline

Astronaut in the Nazca Lines

City of Cusco

Snow Capped Mountain somewhere in the Andes

Heading to the Jungle

Glimpse of "Happy Mountain", Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Lizard looking like a Sun God at Machu Picchu

Popeyes, in Lima, the Culinary Capital of the World, b/c it just seemed wrong to not include it in a blog on quinoa

So maybe the theme of this blog is not necessarily quinoa, but versatility, adaptability. Yet somehow quinoa, Peru and a sun-god lizard relates. In my photography classes I often repeat the phrase "everything is relative". What works for one shot doesn't necessarily work for the next and the photographer is constantly adapting to the current and ever-changing conditions, scenes and subjects. Throw the business side into the mix and we are adapting all over the place. Quinoa, in all its culinary versatility, Peru with its ever changing landscape and lizards with their righteous ability to adapt, reminds me that everything is connected and that the world is as large or as small as we want it to be, how we choose to perceive it, and adapt to it, is entirely up to us.

Til next time....

** I do intend at some point to post my photos of Peru..stay tuned.. **

My Dream House, high up in the Andes, in which I would happily munch on quinoa and adapt to living 12,000 ft above sea level

I'm often drawn to ancient sites, churches, cathedrals, places of reverence. Almost every World Tour photo shoot included a church and the ancient mound sites were peppered throughout the route (which led to the Ancient World Tour, currently on hiatus but sure to resume in 2018) The challenge is creating that reverent vibe in the real world, in every day life. Yet its not so challenging when we are open to seeing it in nature, in people, and all around. Yet again....these are trying times.. and when I need a more intensive weeks-long jolt of that vibe, I'm fortunate that every 12th Night, January 6th, the Carnival season begins.

For some Carnival will begin right after the season ends, plotting/planning costumes, themes, etc. For others it may begin in the summertime, in the fall, after Christmas, or as so often is the case with my costume, late night Lundi Gras..

I gotta say, I absolutely love Mardi Gras. Known for its revelry, there's much more going on in those early weeks of the New Year. I love the spirit that that time brings to the city, and maybe what i love most of all is the reasons for that vibe. It's a time of dedication. The day celebrated as a day to let loose before the season of Lent begins, comes about after sometimes months, sometimes days, hours or minutes of true focus and dedication. Looking out at the sea of costumes exemplifies that vibe each and every year.

Mardi Gras isn't without its many issues, i know, and yes, there are MANY different ways to experience Mardi Gras and many more facets to explore if I were actually writing a blog on Mardi Gras and not ponder-blogging (new word?) on the concept of dedication. Its hard for me to not get caught up in the vibe of it when I live within its borders. Come Carnival time, my address is:

Natasha SanchezMardi GrasNew Orleans, Louisiana

I have been thinking a lot about dedication in everyday life and where we put our focus. Just like going into a sacred site helps fill the soulful well, being around the dedication of Mardi Gras keeps me focused.

The dedication and focus isn't just about the costumes (who am I kidding... !) It's about expression, its about joy, its therapy in a glue stick. Its the satisfaction of all the pieces and parts combining to make the spectacular whole.

(Ex.: just how many more sparkles 'n things can i possibly hot glue onto this garage sale hat?...answer: a lot.)

(throwback to 2008....last minute eyelashes to complete the costume...)

At a time when it seems easier to fall down the well rather than fill it, Mardi Gras comes around and lets the self shine.

Like this mime..(shout out, Esthrrr...throwback to 2007)

Each Mardi Gras experience is unique, but Its the individuals that make up the collective Mardi Gras experience. Just like its the individuals that make the collective world experience. Maybe that's why I've been pondering on focus and dedication so much during these turbulent times. Its amazing what can happen when all those pieces and parts combine to create an expressive, peaceful & joyful world.

With the New Year I am taking a new direction with my blog posts and newsletter. I've been slacking on the posts, though I haven't been lacking for material or things to say. 2017 was an intense year. I hunkered down and got some things DONE. One of those things was at long last I finished my long awaited (...I've long been waiting for it..) book draft of the Louisiana World Tour. After productively procrastinating for years on this project, I finally realized (admitted) that it was something I wanted to complete, but nothing ever happens by sitting around admitting that it was something I wanted to complete. After a chance meeting with a woman who creates wooden lizards (lagniappe) during my "Solo Pilgrimage", a journey across the Florida panhandle en route to St. Augustine, FL for a gig last summer, I came home and got serious about putting words to the page and images to the eye.

It took 6 months, or, if you count the years of exploring, photographing, writing, performing and exhibiting it - 6 years and 6 months - but finally I felt a sense of closure and accomplishment (am now productively procrastinating in my search for a publisher, but thats a whole other story) and feel free to write again.

After 650,000 drafts (okay, like 3 or 4) I finally found the one I could connect with. I wasn't satisfied with any draft, angle or format and I realized the only way to finish it was to scrap everything and go back to the beginning. Get back to the ROOT of why I began the World Tour in the first place, and then the answer was simple. I started the World Tour because I wanted my world to be larger and that was the mindset in which to complete the project and move it into its next phase. Why it took me so long to come up with this when that mission statement is plastered across every World Tour blog post and website description, I'll never know. Okay. I do know. Its because I was looking at the surface of the project, all that I had created, all the shows, exhibits, etc while overlooking the root, why I even embarked on the expedition to begin with, as we are so often apt to do. And thus "Roots" is the first theme of my new monthly blog series "The State of My World".

I think the world could benefit by focusing on the root of things right about now, but thats a whole other blog post. As for the World Tour book project, I was avoiding getting to the root of the World Tour because I saw it as an obstacle on my path. To write a book, photo essay, rather, on wanting my world to be larger implies that I thought my world small at the time and what was that about?

In can be a daunting experience, this digging deep, yet In the course of writing it the words came easy (cuz there aren't that many) because I realized my own perception of its origin had gotten skewed. I didn't think of myself or my world as small back then, but I did want to expand upon what I was doing. Thus making my world larger, thus making my head hurt at how difficult I can make even the simplest of things be. haha.

There are times when getting to the roots can be messy and chaotic, but its worth it, without the root, what is there to grow?

Then there are times when getting to root of things can be fun and light-hearted, like that time my Carrot Song was unintentionally presented as a piece of Live On Air Radio Carrot Performance Art....what? One of my git-er-done achievements of 2017 was getting back to my songwriter roots. I now play in my own songwriter circle and as it turns out, another chance meeting as a "plus one" at a Charlie Daniels show after Whale Fest last March enabled me to do just that (what did all that just say?!) It led to me being a frequent lurker/performer on Laura DeFazio's radio show on WHIV 102.3, an awesome community of Musicians, Mentors & Barroom Heroes, where I played The Carrot Song while Laura munched on a carrot (not nearly as thought out or as planned as it sounds, but hilarious, with lots of laughter and chatter about carrots and gas station snacks.)

Of course, the song is not about Carrots. Its about being a photographer and trying to weed through the surface of the news and get to the root of world & daily life issues. When all is said and read, what is true and was is important? As a photographer, I rely on my own perception to understand the world and present my views, therefore I need carrots in my photographic kit, since they are good for your eyes and all, to really see the truth behind the surface. Turns out, I needed Carrots to help me finish the World Tour.

So thats the State of My World right now. Roots, Carrots and I'm even sipping some ginger tea. So what's happening next? (stole that) I'll have a new blog post on the State of My World in February and some upcoming gigs (Check the Calendar) For now, sit back, grab a carrot and listen to some lighthearted carrot chatter.

I used to have a "Get Lost" gallery on my other site, filled with images of places where I could travel in my mind when I needed to get away - the forest, the river, the Fly, the lake, the sidewalk, the side of the road, etc.. I'd been thinking about bringing that gallery back, and there's no time like the present. This time I've included a glass of wine(insert upside down emoji Here). The gallery is filled with new/old images (some are already featured in collections on my website) of our world. I wanted to put them in a place to be viewed collectively in case anyone else just needed to get away for a bit. Given the political and social climate we live in, I think that need is becoming more and more prevalent each and every day.

So "getting lost" isn't escaping, its recharging. Its taking care of ourselves so that we can take better care of others. And that's what the world needs right now. My thought is that by recharging ourselves, breaking away from the oh-so-popular "us and them" mentality and connecting with the notion that there is "us" and there is "the earth" and we are all part of it and in it together, creates a larger and more peaceful world for ourselves and others. These are images from one world, yet all different places, linked by water, sky and color. Two of my favorite images are the Land & Sky image from St. Augustine, if you look towards the pier you see a Tiny Person in Big World, and the Tiny Planets image where we see just how small our big world is. Feel free to take a gander, a deep breath, lower your blood pressure and calm your mind, or just look at some purty pics if thats more your thing. haha.

(P.S. I'm already thinking of Get Lost: The Forest Edition)

Blue, Lake Michigan

Land & Sky, St. Augustine, Florida

Moonset over Maui

Sunset at Pammukkale, Turkey

Dusk on the Mississippi River, Point a la Hache, Louisiana

Joshua Trees at Dawn, Mexico

Mexican Sunset, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Dusk in Venice, Louisiana

Sunset Connection, Lake Ponchartrain, Louisiana

Wine Reflections in Mexico

Black Sand Beach, Maui

Tiny Worlds - the Moon, Jupiter and Venus

Summer Solstice Full Moon

*** If you are interested in purchasing any of these images, I've created a Small Shoppe and am offering 8x10 fine art prints for $50. If you are interested in another size feel free to contact me for sizes and pricing info ***

Last weekend I flew up to Chicago to continue my new series, Lumens on Location. I got the idea last summer while in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, surrounded by sunny skies and a plethora of flora and fauna….but sans printing paper. It was a fleeting thought at best. San Miguel is located at an elevation of 6,000 feet at the 20th parallel. I wondered what it would be like to print in different locations in the world at different heights and angles, how would that affect the print, and my view? When I realized in January that my visit to Hawaii would also take place at the 20th parallel, I thought to bring some paper and make some prints, thus beginning my new Lumens on Location series. The idea is to focus on the native plants while exploring the varying strength of the sun based on time, location and elevation. On Maui, I made prints at 4,000 feet at the 20th parallel. Here in New Orleans the prints I make at sea level along the 30th parallel. In Chicago, located at the 41st parallel, I made prints at about 594 feet. ***Look out Canada and Alaska with your 50th and 60th parallels***

But first: Chicago.

Lumens On Location has a similar mission as the World Tour. It offers me the chance to see what the world looks like from different angles, and since lumens are sun prints, I mean that quite literally. When I think of Chicago, my first thought isn’t usually about nature or what makes the best lumen material. I researched native plants a little (kinda..on the train) but really I just left it to chance to discover what it was that I went looking for (told ya similar tones to the World Tour..)

I was only there for 3 days which didn’t leave much room for error in making prints, or in choosing what to print. Still, I didn’t force it. I took notice to what was around me. Chicago in the summer is Very Green and Lush.

Complete with tiny fairy houses.

It is also Very Blue. The calm waters (on this day) of Lake Michigan reflect the nature of this new series.

Chicago is known for being Very Grand with its unique architecture and and never ending skyline.

Sooo…what to print? I was immediately taken by all luxuriant greenery, therefore the ivy covering the buildings seemed a natural choice. Yet I still didn't know how these prints would portray my weekend in Chicago with all its lush grandeur.

Then it came to me: the best way to portray the Windy City is to combine all the elements – the ivy on the buildings, the grandeur of the skyline, and the crystal clear blue waters of Lake Michigan - and voila... Chicago.

So there you have it - Lumens on Location. A different view of a charming city. I hope to expand and develop this project into a series of workshops . For now though, I'm quite content viewing the world at different angles through the light of the Sun.

Hello! Welcome to my Brand New Blog on my Brand (kinda) New Website. There comes a time when change is inevitable, and here we are. On this shiny new site I hope that I have made navigating my world a little easier, from the World Tour to Lumen Prints, Songs and Workshops. I’ve even taken a new direction and showcased my (other) travel photography in my Photographs page, so to kick things off I thought I'd share.

Times they are a changin', a constant truth since the beginning of said time. Websites are created for short attention spans these days and rely on the visual (lucky for us photographers). In reading up on Sites of Today, one piece of advice kept popping up: make sure you have a clear message, make sure you have clear message. Sound business advice for any successful endeavor or artist. I pride myself on creating art in different mediums - photographs, lumens and songs, all with an underlying common message. I thought long and hard about how to concisely clarify that message and the answer finally came to me:

The World doesn't completely suck.

Ok, well it kinda does and it kinda doesn't and surely I could phrase that better, but I do like to document my world as is. My focus tends to dwell in the details where the smaller parts make up the whole. I've always been more interested in 'what Is' and I've long been fascinated by the world we create for ourselves and others. Hopefully this new site illustrates that concept.

I started out in portraiture and over the years gravitated to more landscapes, lumen prints and cray world tours, writing songs all along the way. I never stopped hearting portraits, there just came a time when I knew I couldn't solely focus on them (unless it was Betty the Bullhorn, of course). Anyhoo, I've noticed as I shoot landscapes, I occasionally drift towards people as they blend in to the landscape. If anything, my travels to Hawaii compelled the idea there is no boundary between us and the landscape, we are as much a part of the environment as the leaf on a tree. On that note, I added a new portrait gallery, my first in a while, of photographs taken mostly from my travels...as anyone who has followed my World Tour or taken one of my workshops knows...I tend to travel all the time, even in my own backyard.

Feel free to have a look around, I've added a few new photos to the Sacred Faces gallery, and I will continue to update the Calendar with upcoming music gigs, photo exhibitions and what not. This post also marks a return to blogging...yay!...this new format will also make it easier to post new galleries, so check back often and/or follow me on the inner webs.

"We are all just visitors to Earth." - this quote, words spoken by a park ranger at Haleakala National Park in response to our reply that my friends and I were visiting this lovely island from New Orleans, perfectly summed up my ethereal birthday jaunt around the island of Maui last month.

I got an idea of what I was in for when my first glimpse of the island was this incredible moonset over West Maui Mountain.

When I wasn't watching whales,

or meandering around Mars (a.k.a. the summit of Haleakala),

or photographing the dawn of my 45th trip around the sun,

I was contemplating humankind's place in this vast world.

It was easy to do in a world so large yet at the same time so small.

Tiny planes were dwarfed by towering mountains,

Tiny boats surrounded by Pacific waters,

tiny pedestrians sharing the road through the vast countryside,

and tiny cyclist navigating mountainous curves.

Reverence is ubiquitous here and it is understood that rather than a choice, its a way of life.

It has to be, otherwise drivers are faced with two way traffic on one way roads

with...

(haha)

The land itself exudes that appreciation

and it permeates throughout the culture.

Lucky for me that reverent vibe followed me home to New Orleans just in time to see our country go bonkers. With all the divisiveness going on, it was refreshing to be in place that understands that regardless of who we are, where we live or what we believe, at the end of the day we are all simply visitors to this earth. And respect for ourselves, each other and our land is an essential part of living.

Nice way to spend a birthday.

~~~***~~Aloha~~***~~~

Shout out to Michael, Monica and Alex ... it was a birthday adventure to remember...Mahalo!

When I began what would be the Last Louisiana World Tour of 2016 back in September, the plan was simple.

I was going to re-visit Sicily Island for some re-shoots, and then check out the Native American mounds that surround the area. BUT…then my car broke down and plans changed. (see last blog entry)

Suddenly car-less, I was determined to finish the re-shoots that I needed to get to complete the World Tour performance piece…so, with my handy Nissan Rental, I headed to Sicily Island, Copenhagen, Lisbon AND Athens…all in one day. I got the shots I wanted and, in keeping with the theme of the World Tour, then some.

First, I found my way to Sicily Island where I got to see even more of the town than last time.. I didn’t know that was possible.

But most importantly, what I really wanted to capture was the Mediterranean charm of Sicily Island, Lake Louie. (also referred to as Lovelace Lake)

Overlooking the lake was the vista of my original World Tour intent, Peck Mound.

Peck Mound 650-860CE

Peck Mound was occupied from 650 to 860 by the Troyville & Coles Creek Culture. Of the five mounds in the complex, only one is no longer visible. I could have continued on as planned and explored the other mounds in the area, but I instead traveled onward to Copenhagen where I photographed familiar scenes, though this time around I did not get lost or maim a squirrel (click on the link to refresh your memory). I did, however, find myself surrounded by Forests and my Horse Friends. I also was able to capture a sparkly sign pic.

I still wanted to explore the Ancient World, so I drove a little further and reached another mound site, Wade Landing, seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

The Road to Antiquity

Yet it is easily visible from the road…a little piece of antiquity with a giant mansion right next to it.According to the marker it is about 1000 years old and the cemetery on top of the mound helps to preserve it.

Wade Landing, 1000 year old Mound

Finally, it was time to head up north where I once again drove through the metropolis of Lisbon, and picked a few new shots on my way to Athens

Lisbon, Louisiana

(I always shoot a tree when I'm in Lisbon)

As I arrived in Athens in Northwest Louisiana, it was as much as I left in 5 years ago.

Athens Town Hall

But I did discover another church.

St. Rest, Athens, Louisiana

I really wanted a shot from a hill, as I read that Athens, Louisiana was named for Athens, Greece and the original town was built on top a hill. Ask and ye shall receive..

At the end of the day, I found a hotel near Vienna and got to work looking up what ancient mounds could be around this area. Most of the mounds in Louisiana are in the east, situated along bayous and the river. I wasn’t expecting to find any in North Central Louisiana, but lo and behold…..I found one!

The next morning I was off. I passed through Vienna long enough to capture this sign – Old Wire Road. The sign, situated between two posts of blooming morning glories, says that it was the first road across North Louisiana and began as an Indian trail. How apropos..

Old Wire Road, Vienna, Louisiana

View from the Road near Lisbon & Vienna

Turns out the mounds I was heading for were only a short drive from Lisbon where i had been a day earlier. Hidden amongst the trees and fancy houses of Union Parish and overlooking D’Arbonne Lake is Scott Place Mounds.

D'Arbonne Lake

The mounds from the late Coles/Creek early Plaquemine periods dates to about 1200. This by far was my favorite mound to photograph. As I kept climbing up the hill I couldn’t place where the mounds would be. Just around the corner though, there was the sign and the mound.

800 year old Scott Place Mounds

On the way back home I got to take in some more Louisiana loveliness. I also got to experience some good ole southern hospitality. As I stopped to take this photo,

Louisiana Bayou

a truck immediately pulled up behind me, the driver jumped out thinking that I was having car trouble. I thanked him and told him I wasn’t ..I was just driving like a maw maw in my my Nissan Rental observing the State of my World.

This particular World Tour may not have gone as planned, instead it was so much better and left me in a state of true reverence.It reaffirmed that the present coexists with the past and reminds us that nothing is more important than preserving the State of Our World, both the inner and outer, for the future.

Flowers blooming in 2016 at 800 year old Scott Place Mounds

In that regard, this World Tour road trip, and all my World Tour road trips have been:

It’s all in how you see it.

Thanks for reading, viewing and supporting the State of My World

~ Natasha

all content (c) Natasha Sanchez

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The Louisiana World Tour, a philosophical and photographic road trip through the state of my world, began in 2011 under the premise that the world is as large or as small as you want it to be. Since that time, over 20 "international" destinations have been visited in Louisiana. The Ancient Louisiana World Tour began in 2016 and aims to complement the Louisiana World Tour by honoring the natural landscape and those who came before us. Follow the blog for more exciting adventures!

If we are facebook besties, no doubt you've heard the story. While heading out to Sicily (Island) (Louisiana) last week, my car engine died along with the brakes. My first and only thought when I finally coasted to a stop was "this could have been sooooo much worse". I was grateful for the chance to make it to the side of the road and that nothing was blocking my path.

For the first time in the 5 years that I have been Touring the World, I was disappointed. My goal has always been to simply make it to the town and photograph something with the town name. This tour was a little different, I have already visited Sicily (Island). I was going back for some re-shoots and to explore the nearby Ancient World of Native American mounds. Yet it looked like there would be no World Tourin' on this trip.

Until...

After being slightly bitter and texting friends this pic with the caption "Worlds Most Boring World Tour",

Worlds Most Boring World Tour

I found a tiny butterfly.

Tiny Yellow Butterfly

It occurred to me that one of my favorite places in da world is The Forest. Pick a Forest, any Forest. When I'm not photographing lizards or reflections for American Photo Safari, or hosting songwriters and musicians at Buffas Bar & Restuarant, I am most likely hanging out in the forest with bunnies and butterflies, or at least thats what I'm daydreaming about.

So there I was, stranded on the side of the road waiting for my Tow Truck Driver in Shining Steel, feeling a little down about not being able to complete the world tour, when I realized - I was right where i wanted to be - in the forest. Everyday we drive on these concrete strips of cleared land ignoring or not even considering the world around us as we anticipate the world ahead of us.

So I decided to go on tour after all and explore this enchanting terrain with moody shots of the forest, a whole new world just on the side of the road.

And shadow selfies, natch.

I was mildly pleased with myself for photographing this spider web:

Until I stumbled across this one:

When the tow truck finally arrived it brought with it more photographic opportunities -

reflective selfies

(apropos)

And shots of my car on its way to its final resting place just outside of Sorrento.

.

A fitting end to a car that brought me all over the world, the road.. and then some.

The Worlds Most Boring World Tour turned into the Worlds Most Exciting One after all with more adventures ahead.

Last January, you may recall, I traveled to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico for a birthday getaway vacay. When not lounging on the terrace, I visited Galeria Photo/Graphic in the Centro and learned about an upcoming summer juried exhibition called Interpreted Reality. I submitted to the show, got in (!), then went on a road trip with a friend, driving from New Orleans to SMA to attend the opening in July.

The drive from the border to San Miguel de Allende is a breathtaking odyssey, parts of it include the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range. Mexico has a great system of toll roads but they go around the city of Monterrey, sad face. Knowing that there was a Monterey, Louisiana I was a little disappointed to not drive through the city. (Ok, so the disappointment lasted about half a second as I was preoccupied with one spectacular view after another)

On the way back...I was navigating....we took a right...oops, i mean.. wrong turn

and ended up in Monterrey! Though I SWEAR it was an accident..~there are no accidents~.. I was not-so-secretly thrilled to get a glimpse of this worldly metropolis...because that meant that I was headed north when I got home, straight to Monterey, Louisiana.

If you search for Monterrey, Mexico on the innerwebs, you will surely find out it is one of Mexicos largest cities, both industrial and cosmopolitan with plenty of natural areas and parks. We drove in just long enough to find a spot for a questionable u-turn, so we only got a peek of the impressive outskirts. Grabbing the shot with the city name was the peak of the drive para mi.

Back home in Louisiana, it was time to hit the road again, this time to Monterey, Louisiana.

Monterey is located in the eastern central part of the state near the Mississippi River - east of Alexandria and South of Sicily Island for reference. It was exciting to travel to this unexpectedly new location on the World Tour, because it took me along both familiar and unfamiliar routes. Hwy 1 is a favorite of mine - sugar cane, random crop duster,

and the Morganza Spillway.

In contrast to the soaring Sierra Madres of Mexico, there are the Flat Floodplains of Louisiana. Though for what Louisiana lacks in elevation, the ginormous cumulus clouds make up for it.

For a moment driving north in Louisiana didn't seem much different from driving in north Mexico.

Louisiana

Mexico

Hwy 15 takes you through the Red River State Wildlife Management area

Past the Old River Control Structure (to match Morganza)

And then to the unincorporated town with a post office I didn't photograph, Monterey.

In Monterey I photographed all the usual suspects.

The Water Tower,

the market,

the fire truck,

and then I cooled off at the church.

(I do have a tale about a Very Curious Monterey Resident at this church, but much like the Transylvania Bat, some stories are meant to be sung.)

I have to admit I was wondering what I was going to think of Monterey, Louisiana after my trek through Monterrey Mexico. How would it hold up? Turns out, like the rest of my travels, my favorite part of both Monter(r)eys was the journey itself. I was as awe-inspired in Louisiana as I was in Mexico, verifying once again that the World is as Large or as small as we want it to be, how we choose to perceive it is entirely up to us.

Til next time...

*Shout out to mi amiga /road trip partner Alex Bosworth for the use of her iPhone in Monterrey after my camera battery died*

I spent the Summer Solstice at the end of the World in one of my favorite World Tour sites, Venice.

Sunset in the marsh

I first photographed Venice in 2011 during the dawn of the World Tour. I wrote a blog, "Further Down the Road", that featured my Not So Slight and Very Unnecessary anxiety about *how* I was going to photograph this worldly wonder. By the third trip down it was obvious that Veniceclearly spoke for itself. This time around, on the Ancient World Tour, fossils were the motivation. Well, fossils and jaw dropping sunsets.

Summer Solstice Sunset in Venice

Water rules the road in Venice

as does the wildlife.

makes ya wonder about rush hour

The Ancient World Tour speaks to the original settlement of our world, the natural environment. I thought the Summer Solstice, a time to celebrate and respect light, the perfect time to go fossil exploring. Using the lumen print process (printing with the sun!) to create a "modern" fossil (term applied loosely) even the smallest blade of grass or the tiniest flower gives an immense sense of our intricate and fragile existence.

Venice Marsh, Venice Flower, Venice Tall Grass, Blades of Venice

After all, it's the little things that create this expansive

world we all share and live in for just a short while.

Til next epoch..

End of the Solstice at the End of the World

All content (c) Natasha Sanchez

************

The Louisiana World Tour, a philosophical and photographic road trip through the state of my world, began in 2011 under the premise that the world is as large or as small as you want it to be. Since that time, over 20 "international" destinations have been visited in Louisiana. The Ancient Louisiana World Tour began in 2016 and aims to complement the Louisiana World Tour by honoring the natural landscape and those who came before us. Follow the blog for more exciting adventures!

I've traveled the world from Athens toQuebec, but there is still so much more to discover. Louisiana, as you know, is rich in archeological sites. I've long been interested in ancient history and that interest only intensified during the Louisiana World Tour while visiting places such as the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Poverty Point. Along The Way, as I'd travel from town to town, I'd pass site after site, the Filhiol Mounds near Sicily Island, the Balmoral Mounds near Barcelona, the list goes on. I realized that I was passing our past, yet maybe exploring our past was the key to moving forward. So off I went in search of yore..

is an archeological site located about 30 miles southwest of present day New Orleans in St. Charles Parish. It dates back to the year 800. The site originally consisted of five platform mounds, of which only two remain today. One of them is now used as a cemetery, with burial plots on top of the mound. The site was originally inhabited by the Coles Creek and Mississippian cultures and abandoned by 1700. I visited the mound that is now used as a cemetery by a local church.

Sims Site is located in the lush landscape of Louisiana.

.. which makes for great photographic framing of the mound..

I'm often asked ..."why"... Why am I so excited about a mound of dirt (and/or shells)? Its not like I'm in Himalaya after all (giggle).

The reason why, besides the obvious - that its AWESOME - is respect. Respect for those who came before us and the world they created. The premise of the World Tour is that the world is as large or as small as you want it to be. The premise of the Ancient World Tour is respect - though time and cultures vary, at the end of the day, its One World, and we are the ancient past. The past may be closer than it appears.